1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to a splice for connecting electrical conductors.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,565 discloses a splicing connector having a connector shell with a general H shaped cross section. The splicing connector includes two wedge assemblies that are inserted into the H shaped connector shell for attaching two electrical conductors to each other. Electrical wedge connectors are also well known in the art, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,588 which include a tapering cross sectional C shape shell and a wedge. A powder actuated tool, such as a Wejtap™ tool sold by FCI USA, Inc., is used to propel the wedge into the shell to fixedly attach to conductors to each other.
In the early 1990's, an automatic splice was introduced to the electric utility market in the United States. Although initially promoted as a convenient, temporary connection to speed outage restoration, it's easy, tool-free installation quickly made it a favorite among linemen. In rather short order, automatic splices were soon being employed as permanent installations in almost every utility in the United States. However, 10 years later, automatic splices are failing at an alarming rate and most major utilities are desperately seeking a reliable, cost-efficient replacement. However, despite these failures, most utilities remain unwilling to mandate a return to the time tested (but labor-intensive) process of installing compression high-tension sleeves. As such, an incredibly large and enormously profitable, untapped market awaits the first manufacturer to produce a high-tension splice that provides reliability and ease of installation at an affordable price.